Related Articles

Intense winds help Antarctica keep its cool despite climate change, according to a new study.

Scientists overwhelmingly agree global warming exists and humans are largely responsible, but Antarctica seems to have bucked the trend, with portions of it cooling, while the rest of the planet heats up.

The key to Antarctic weather is the wind, says Australian National University climate scientist Nerilie Abram, lead author of a new study that explains this in the context of a warmer world.

“They control how far north the rain bands go out of the Southern ocean," Abram said. "And they are also really important for temperature and in particular for the temperature of Antarctica and also the Antarctic peninsula, which is the bit of Antarctica that juts out right into the path of those westerly winds.”

LISTEN: Antarctica Cooling Explained

That westerly wind belt circulates the continent. The study in Nature Climate Change finds that those winds are now stronger and their path tighter than at any time in the past 1,000 years. That change has been especially prominent since the 1940s.

Abram and her team reconstructed Antarctica's climate history from ice cores. They conclude the wind has kept a large part of the continent cold, unlike anywhere else on the planet.

“But we can explain that because as those westerly winds are getting stronger, they are actually tying [trapping] the cold air over Antarctica, and it stops warm air masses from being able to get over the continent and help to warm Antarctica," Abram said. "So this example of something that seems like a climate change paradox, we can actually explain by these greenhouse gases that are strengthening the westerly winds and isolating parts of Antarctica.”

Climate scientist Nerilie Abram of the Australian National University explains how the wind pattern that circulates Antarctica affects the Antarctic continent and beyond.(Credit: ANU Media)

But they are not isolating the Antarctic Peninsula and parts of the Western Antarctic ice sheet that lie directly in their path.

“So as those winds have strengthened and pulled in tighter around Antarctica, they are actually bringing warmer air over those parts, particularly over the Antarctic Peninsula," she said. "And this is the part of the southern hemisphere that is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth at the moment."

Those westerly winds have deviated from their natural course, which would have driven cold fronts into the southern hemisphere. Instead the air is trapped over Antarctica and keeping rain from falling on Australia.

“What has been happening over the recent decades is that those westerly winds have been shifting south and we are getting fewer of those cold fronts and storms coming up and giving that really important rain," she said. "And that is why Australia is experiencing these very severe droughts.”

Abram adds the Southern ocean winds, which have intensified because of the warmer atmosphere, could revert to a more normal pattern if action were taken to reduce greenhouse gases.

Comments page of 2

I agree they have more spin than the pollies. Also I understand that we humans only contribute 3% to globule warming? that nature contribute the other 97%.

by: Bref from: Australia

May 12, 2014 11:37 PM

Who measured the wind 1000 years ago?If it’s hot its global warming, if it’s cold its global warming.

As for climate change; that is a non-statement.

Who has determined which is the correct temperature, is it hotter or colder, as if we have the handbrake for weather

by: Sean from: L

May 12, 2014 11:30 PM

And I am tired of totally unscientific people like these guys sticking their heads in the ground and saying 'NO' - besides being an affront to intelligent people, they put my son and other children's futures at risk.

by: Rick Woodruff

May 12, 2014 10:32 PM

it is only a matter of time b4 comments start coming from the alarmists..my opinion is most of them have got shares in wind farms or solar panel companys..seems to be the same people most of the time..majority of people are getting sick of it..yes we all know we will have too slowly move away from fossil fuels but people are just sick of what they say so called global warming /climate change is doing...always nit picking..seems only the scientists or organisations who get funded are the ones who continue this stuff...if it is global it should be the whole planet warming..if antartica is not it is not global....but they will find away too manifest the situation

by: Skip from: Cawarral QLD

May 12, 2014 8:34 PM

Scientists have no idea are still clinging to out dated ideology, when evidence over the last 20 years shows that planet appears to not to be warming at any rate faster than any other period of the planets history considered stable. Data is proving the planet is cooling. They bend the truth to ensure their pay packed.

Cheers Slip

by: Annie Mac from: NSW

May 12, 2014 7:50 PM

I am sick to death of the lies told by scientists in an effort to keep their jobs.Every time it is said the planet is not warming, these scientists twist the facts to suit their theory.e.g. that winds are keeping the Antarctic cool. Most people have woken up to them ,thank Heavens.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that his country could face further consequences to what he called its “already strained economy” if Moscow does not fully comply with a cease-fire in Ukraine. The two met, on Monday, on the sidelines of a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, where Kerry outlined human rights violations in Russian-annexed Crimea and eastern Ukraine. VOA State Department correspondent Pam Dockins reports from Geneva.

Video

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that his country could face further consequences to what he called its “already strained economy” if Moscow does not fully comply with a cease-fire in Ukraine. The two met, on Monday, on the sidelines of a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, where Kerry outlined human rights violations in Russian-annexed Crimea and eastern Ukraine. VOA State Department correspondent Pam Dockins reports from Geneva.

Video

Diagnosing infections such as HIV requires expensive clinical tests, making the procedure too costly for many poor patients or those living in remote areas. But a new technology called lab-on-a-chip may make the tests more accessible to many. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Afghan officials have expressed concern over reports of a crackdown on Afghan refugees in Pakistan following the Peshawar school attack in December. Reports of mass arrests and police harassment coupled with fear of an uncertain future are making life difficult for a population that fled its homeland to escape war. VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports from Islamabad.

Video

Despite the ongoing ceasefire in Ukraine, soldiers in the city of Mariupol fear that pro-Russian separatists may be getting ready to attack. The separatists must take or encircle the city if they wish to gain land access to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia early last year. But Ukrainian forces, many of them volunteers, say they are determined to defend it. Patrick Wells reports from Mariupol.

Video

As low oil prices and Western sanctions force Russia's economy into recession, thousands of Moscow restaurants are expected to close their doors. Restaurant owners face rents tied to foreign currency, while rising food prices mean Russians are spending less when they dine out. One entrepreneur in Moscow has started a dinner kit delivery service for those who want to cook at home to save money but not skimp on quality. VOA's Daniel Schearf reports.

Video

The United States and Cuba say they have made progress in the second round of talks on restoring diplomatic relations more than 50 years after breaking off ties. Delegations from both sides met in Washington on Friday to work on opening embassies in Havana and Washington and iron out key obstacles to historic change. VOA’s Mary Alice Salinas reports from the State Department.

Video

One after another, presumptive Republican presidential contenders auditioned for conservative support this week at the Conservative Political Action Conference held outside Washington. The rhetoric was tough as a large field of potential candidates tried to woo conservative support with red-meat attacks on President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress. VOA Political Columnist Jim Malone takes a look.

Video

New Yorkers take pride in setting world trends — in fashion, the arts and fine dining. The city’s famous biannual Restaurant Week plays a significant role in a booming tourism industry that sustains 359,000 jobs and generates $61 billion in yearly revenue. VOA's Ramon Taylor reports.

Video

Issues like the Keystone XL pipeline, fracking and instability in the Middle East are driving debate in the U.S. about making America energy independent. Recently, the American Energy Innovation Council urged Congress and the White House to make expanded energy research a priority. One beneficiary of increased energy spending would be the Brookhaven National Lab, where clean, renewable, efficient energy is the goal. VOA's Bernard Shusman reports.

Video

There has been a surge of interest in the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s, thanks in part to the Hollywood motion picture "Selma." Five decades later, communities in the South are embracing the dark chapters of their past with hopes of luring tourism dollars. VOA's Chris Simkins reports.

Video

With the end of summer in the Southern hemisphere, the Antarctic research season is over. Scientists from Northern Illinois University are back in their laboratory after a 3-month expedition on the Ross Ice Shelf, the world’s largest floating ice sheet. As VOA’s Rosanne Skirble reports, they hope to find clues to explain the dynamics of the rapidly melting ice and its impact on sea level rise.

Video

A Lao dam project on a section of the Mekong River is drawing opposition from local fishermen, international environmental groups and neighboring countries. VOA's Say Mony visited the region to investigate the concerns. Colin Lovett narrates.